Let's recontextualize the scene. Shauna had just been made leader, and everyone is upset at Nat and expects her to be punished. So Shauna is the one who has to find a punishment for killing Ben. And to Shauna, there is no worse punishment than being forced to walk into her shoes: being the butcher.

Yes it is cruel, but it's also a punishment that fits the crime. Something that will satisfy everyone mad at Nat and prevent a far worse punishment (like death). Just like when Shauna suggested Nat should be the one shooting Ben, she wants Nat to experience what she went through. Having to butcher Javi, someone Shauna cared about, parallels Nat now having to butcher Ben, whom she bonded with. In a twisted way, Shauna wants Nat to understand and connect with her trauma, by making her go through the same. And I do think Nat's refusal to be the one expected to execute Ben since she was the hunter is partially why Shauna made her butcher Ben. Because when it came to butcher Javi, she wasn't allowed to refuse and instead ask for a draw. It's vindicative but also coming from a place of hurt, and wanting Nat to know how she felt.

But, even if it was cruel, Shauna wasn't unsympathetic to Nat. When Nat asked to butcher Ben, Shauna stayed with her and guided her, providing assistance and even a trick to make it easier by covering Ben's face, similar to how she had to cover her eyes while butchering Javi.

That's the thing with Shauna. She can be both cruel and empathetic. But due to her trauma, she forces herself to swallow back her sympathy for others and over-exaggerate her cruel side, to protect herself. As I said in an earlier post, she isn't " cartoonishly evil", she is "performatively evil". See the contrast between the scene where she said Nat will "prepare the feast" compared to when she helps Nat butcher Ben. Around others, she looked gleeful about it, but alone with Nat, she was impassive, but judging by her demeanour, sympathetic to Nar. She just can't show it.

And I do think it made them connect more, by now sharing a similar trauma and knowing how it feels to have to butcher someone you cared about. Hence why, as adults, Nat decided to help Shauna butcher Adam's corpse, because she can now relate to Shauna and how awful it is to do.

So, yeah. It WAS cruel, but came from a place of hurt and a desire to be understood in her trauma by someone who previously refused to share the same burden. And in the end, Nat did come to understand Shauna better, as we saw in the adult tl. So, 1 point in favour of shaunanat!

People love to say Shauna was cruel to suggest Nat, but... is she wrong to suggest that the hunter should be the one to shoot Ben? Sure, shooting a human is different from shooting animals, but also... so does butchering animals compared to humans, and yet Shauna was expected to butcher Javi's corpse because she was the butcher. Sure, she chose that role, but under the assumption she'd only butcher animal corpses, not humans. So it is fair for her to expect that Nat, who chose to shoot animals, should be required to shoot a human if needed.

And yet Nat decides that it should be a draw, and she added "just like with everything else". This must have stung for Shauna, because she knows it's not true. There was no draw for who had to kill Nat after she drew the queen, or to butcher Javi. Shauna was instantly expected to do it because she was the butcher, but the same expectation was never extended to Nat being the hunter.

That's why Shauna looks so happy when she didn't draw the king, because she knew that for once, it wouldn't be her who would do the dirty work. Someone else will know how she felt.

That explains a lot of Shauna's growing resentment towards Nat, because even if Nat doesn't realize it, it was hypocritical to request a draw and claim this is what they always do. And Shauna is aware of that. Of course, it would have been traumatizing to make Nat do it, given what happened with Nat's father. But that was also traumatizing for Shauna to have to butcher Javi, a child, right after she lost her baby. So I think Shauna wanted Nat to understand what she had to go through, and making her butcher Ben in a later episode was essentially that.

(for the shaunahat scene analysis masterpost, click here)

Before going to the major shaunahat scenes in this episode, there is a brief yet important moment between Shauna and Melissa I’d also like to analyse first. It’s when the group are discussing what they will do with Coach Scott, given he was voted as guilty in the previous episode. They have to decide on his sentence. More specifically, how they will execute him.

Then Shauna proposes death by burning, given how he was accused of burning down the cabin. Mari compared this to the witches who were burned at the stake, while Nat objects to the suggestion, calling it torture due to being a very painful way to die.

But then, Melissa chimed in, quickly agreeing with Shauna as soon as she was facing pushback. She claims Shauna’s idea is fair because it’s what Ben would have wanted for them, when he allegedly burned down the cabin. I can’t tell if this is how Melissa truly feels or if she’s just willing to say and agree with anything if it means Shauna would notice her. It’s worth noting that Melissa only said that once Nat rejected Shauna’s idea, then immediately looked at Shauna afterward. So it’s fair to assume this statement was mostly done to show support to Shauna rather than how Melissa truly felt. But at the same time, it is very telling that she’s willing to condone burning a man to death simply to increase her chances of getting with her crush. 

Right at the same time that Melissa is looking at Shauna, Shauna also looks at her. Melissa softly smiled at her, then looked away, maybe she got shy when she realized Shauna was looking at her, or maybe because Shauna didn’t smile back, so she got nervous. Unlike their last interaction post-trial, they aren’t in that same thrill anymore. Melissa isn’t as bold here, and Shauna is back to being distant.

Shauna’s expression isn’t super clear to me, but I don’t think she was “annoyed”, I’d say she looks more perplexed. I think Shauna might have been put off by Melissa’s enthusiasm and how easily she agrees with her. I think part of Shauna is still in disbelief that someone might actually like her. Shauna struggles with a lot of guilt and self-loathing, so the idea that someone might actually like her despite how “unlikable” she feels she has become within the group might be jarring for her. And with her growing paranoia, I can see her starting to be a bit suspicious of Melissa’s intentions, and being uncertain if she is truthful about her feelings for her or simply deceiving her. 

Then, once Shauna focused her attention back on Natalie, Melissa is seen staring at her when she isn’t looking. I think Melissa is also perplexed here, because of Shauna’s apparent coldness. Shauna didn’t reciprocate the same way she did, after the trial. After they shared that handholding, Melissa probably assumed they were getting closer, only for Shauna to go back to looking indifferent to her. She was hopeful, but now she’s back to being unsure of where she stands with Shauna, which worries her. She might be thinking of what she should do next to get back in Shauna’s good graces. This is something we will see later in the same episode, which I will elaborate on in a future scene analysis.

As I said, this was a brief moment where they essentially only exchanged a glance, but it carried a lot of meaning regarding their relationship and individual characters. For Melissa, she is putting her own interest over the well-being of another person (here Ben) for the sake of furthering her relationship with Shauna. And this isn’t the first time she prioritizes her feelings for Shauna over other people. She did so when she insulted Mari behind her back, stepped on Akilah’s gift for Shauna, and pressured Gen to vote guilty. But this time, there is an escalation, where it isn’t just causing harm to someone, but going as far as condoning killing someone (by burning him alive, no less). This is a continuation of the darker turn her crush for Shauna took during the trial, and this is only the beginning. It will get even darker later.

As for Shauna, this short moment showcases that even though she has started to open up to Melissa, she still doesn't fully trust her, due to her own insecurities and self-loathing. Even after everything Melissa has done for her so far, it is still not enough for her to earn Shauna’s truth. And it’s both because of Shauna’s low self-esteem and her growing paranoid tendencies. Melissa will have to prove to her that her feelings are sincere and that she is loyal to her. Which will happen later in this episode and I’ll elaborate on that once I reach those scenes specifically.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Yellowjackets (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Melissa/Shauna Shipman, Gen & Melissa (Yellowjackets), Jeff Sadecki/Shauna Shipman Characters: Melissa (Yellowjackets), Shauna Shipman, Gen (Yellowjackets) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Teen Timeline (Yellowjackets), Post-Rescue from Wilderness (Yellowjackets), Love Triangles, Jealousy, Unhealthy Relationships, Cheating, Period-Typical Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Drunk Sex, Dubious Consent, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, Gen lives, Angry Sex, Hate Sex Summary:

Melissa is with Gen now. Or rather, she wished to be. Turns out that Shauna doesn't take it well and decides to come back into her life, despite being with Jeff now. This gives Melissa some hope, but also makes everything so much more complicated for her.

or

(for the shaunahat scene analysis masterpost, click here)

The trial of Coach Scott ended with a guilty verdict for Ben, much to Shauna’s satisfaction, as well as Melissa’s. Once the trial is over, Melissa is quick to go talk to Shauna. Since she did contribute in pushing for a guilty verdict (by pressuring Gen to vote guilty), she must have felt emboldened. This is different from how Melissa used to approach Shauna, all shy and hesitant. Just like Shauna, she’s on the high of what she perceived as a “victory”, and also hopes that this will benefit her in her pursuit of a relationship with her now that Shauna got what she wanted. She gets very close to Shauna for a moment during that scene, then steps back a little, because even if Melissa is more daring now, she is still dealing with Shauna. She still has to tread carefully even if she’s more forthcoming.

Then she tells Shauna “this is what I'm talking about. Look at what you just did. Do you feel that right now?” which I believe is in reference to what Melissa previously told Shauna in ep2, about how she was “resilient” and how important it was out there. Melissa views Shauna’s resilience as power, and she is pointing out to Shauna the impact she had while also letting her know that she always believed in her. Shauna looks around when Melissa says that, like she isn’t really sure what Melissa meant, until she makes it clear with her next line: “That’s fucking power!”

Melissa has such an intensity when she says that, and I’d even say she was unhinged in her delivery. And this was intentional on Jenna’s part to play it that way. The whole “crazy eyes” was on purpose, and as mentioned in the previous scene analysis, the trial was Melissa’s “stage” and she was putting on a performance to impress Shauna. And now that it is over, she is showing her that she can match her freak and won’t be “boring”. There’s also excitement in her voice, because as we know, she is very much attracted to Shauna, even more so when she views her as powerful. But there’s also the fact Melissa also feels that power, and I do think she wants to share it with Shauna.

Shauna does feel it. The power. She feels like she did influence the outcome of the trial, and successfully got what she wanted. She had power over the others, and over Ben’s life. Shauna always lamented that Nat was chosen as the leader instead of her, so she must feel vindicated, especially given how much Nat tried to protect Ben. Not only did she get revenge against Ben for abandoning her, I could see her also feeling like she won against Nat. This is the first time in a long time that things go her way, and that makes her feel powerful. She’s on a powertrip, and I do think she is conscious that Melissa helped her get there, and is starting to warm up to the idea of having her as an ally, and see the benefit of having her support.

And then they shared a rather intimate hand-holding. I think Shauna did this in the spur of the moment, she’s still feeling that rush and part of her is grateful to Melissa for this. So in a way, it is a reward. A little crumb of affection she’s giving her, to ensure her loyalty. The hand-holding is brief though, and Shauna doesn’t try to go further than that. And I think it’s because Melissa hasn’t fully earned her trust yet. But for now, at least, Shauna is willing to give a little treat. And even smiled while doing so!

As for Melissa, she looks surprised by the sudden handholding at first, but once she processes it she looks absolutely thrilled. She is finally getting some sort of acknowledgement. Handholding might not seem like a lot but to Melissa, this is intimate enough to give her some hope of a potential relationship between them. And after how invested she was in the trial for Shauna’s sake, this makes all her efforts worth it. This is basically adding fuel to the fire that is her crush on Shauna and making her feel validated in her pursuit. The handholding remained brief and they both parted ways afterward, and I’m sure Melissa remained extremely giddy for a while after that.

(Also yes, Lottie’s reaction in the background, haha funny meme. I do think she’s just taken aback because she has been trying to get closer to Shauna for a while, only to realize someone else did and it ended up being Melissa of all people. I don’t view it as jealousy, maybe a bit of envy but mostly, she just did not see it coming. And she’s just surprised to see Shauna seemed to have opened up to someone, in my opinion. Anyway, back to shaunahat!)

This scene really cemented shaunahat taking a darker turn, showing the more enabling nature of it. This is a good example of how it is mutually toxic, where Melissa is enabling Shauna’s worse impulses, while Shauna is rewarding Melissa’s more violent tendencies. It is important to remember that Melissa is also toxic in this relationship, where she validates Shauna’s more aggressive behaviors, both because of her crush on her but also for her own benefit. I like to view this relationship as “enabler x corrupter”, and this scene showcases this. And it will be further shown in a later scene in the next episode.

(ps: there might be some symbolism/foreshadowing with the feather on Melissa's clothes, but I'll touch on that more in a later episode)

My latest attempt at drawing Melissa Hat after months. Yes I gave her the trial outfit because it's one of my favorites (+ the hat because duh, she can't see without her hat).

Full-body version and paper version, too.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Yellowjackets (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Melissa/Shauna Shipman Characters: Melissa (Yellowjackets), Shauna Shipman Additional Tags: Cunnilingus, Biting, Bruises, Unhealthy Relationships, Dubious Consent, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Porn Magazines, Teasing, POV Alternating, Canon Compliant, Hair-pulling, Verbal Degradation Series: Part 9 of shaunahat fics Summary:

(for the shaunahat scene analysis masterpost, click here)

For this scene analysis, I’ll be considering the whole trial as one scene. Everything that happened post-trial will get its own separate analysis. There isn’t really any direct interaction between Shauna and Melissa during the trial, but we do see Melissa react a lot to what Shauna says and does, so this is what this analysis will be focusing on.

First detail I’d like to point out is that Melissa sat close to Shauna. Assuming everyone chose where to sit during the trial, then it means Melissa purposefully sat near Shauna. Other interesting detail is that Gen is sitting next to Melissa, so Melissa is quite literally between Gen and Shauna. This is a good visual of where Melissa is, where she is currently stuck between her friendship with Gen and her blooming relationship with Shauna, and how she will ultimately choose Shauna over Gen.

(for the shaunahat scene analysis masterpost, click here)

Alright, this scene analysis will also be relatively short. Let’s call it the “pre-trial” scene. The episode begins with the group on their way back to the village after capturing Ben. If you look closely, we can see Melissa turning around to take a look at Shauna, probably still worried about her after she was intoxicated by the cave gas. Once again, showing how Melissa genuinely cares about Shauna and is concerned for her well-being.

Then later, once they reach the village, Shauna instantly wants to punish Ben for supposedly trying to kill them. Nat, who secretly protected Ben by pretending that he was dead, is quick to oppose that. Then Lottie chimed in, claiming that life or death is for “It” (the Wilderness) to decide. 

Melissa is quick to object to Lottie’s claim, and repeats Shauna’s claim about Ben trying to kill them. Which in return, Shauna agreed with her too. I don’t think Melissa particularly cared about what they did to Ben, but since she saw how hell-bent Shauna was about punishing him, she felt compelled to agree with her. And even express it and make it clear where she stands, so Shauna has no doubt that she is on her side. And I bet Melissa must have felt satisfied to see Shauna agree with her afterward.

Another interesting detail, after Melissa said that, it zoomed on Gen behind her. As you may recall, Gen is not aware of Melissa’s crush on Shauna at that point. So Melissa’s sudden outburst must have been confusing to her. Melissa, who is usually more of a wallflower, isn’t the type to express her opinion like that, especially not this assertively. I don’t think Gen necessarily made the connection with Shauna, but if so, it might have been odd for her to see her best friend be on the same wavelength as Shauna. Especially since Gen isn’t particularly fond of Shauna.

Then the scene ended with Nat proposing a trial, which I’ll be analyzing for the next scene analysis. This was an extremely short scene analysis, but also very important for what’s to come next. We see Melissa’s devotion to Shauna becoming more aggressive, even enabling Shauna’s more violent tendencies. And also, how eager she is to show her loyalty to Shauna. And with Shauna actually acknowledging her point and agreeing with her, I think this did influence how adamant Melissa was in her support for Shauna during the trial. But that’s going to be for the next scene analysis for this episode, which, hopefully, should be longer than the last two scene analysis I did. 

(for the shaunahat scene analysis masterpost, click here)

So, technically, there isn’t another proper shaunahat scene in this episode, but there are still some minor interactions between these two throughout the rest of the episode. So let’s just say that the whole “let’s go find Coach Scott” sequence counts as a scene.

Once Mari comes back to camp, Shauna is quick to be suspicious about her previous whereabouts. Shauna doesn’t seem particularly happy that Mari came back safe and sound. And it seems like it’s the case for Melissa, too. She is also acting suspiciously of Mari. I do think it’s possible she’s acting this way to support Shauna, it wouldn’t be the first time Melissa expressed dislikes for Mari to seek Shauna’s approval. But also, it is possible that Melissa is simply annoyed that Mari’s return interrupted her moment with Shauna. She definitely put a lot of effort into finally talking to Shauna again after their kiss, and it was going well, until they were interrupted.

Also, interesting detail, but when Mari made a joke at the expense of Shauna (about fucking her dad), Melissa is seemingly the only one not laughing or being amused. I don’t think she would have found a joke targeted at Shauna funny, or wanted Shauna to see her laugh about it. Or she just didn’t get the joke. I could see that too.

Also, there was apparently a deleted scene where Shauna asked who would join her on her search for Ben, and Melissa quickly raised her hands. I do think it’s a shame it didn’t make the final cut because that does sound funny. Though it might have been deleted because it would have made Melissa’s crush on Shauna too obvious to the others, or to keep her more intense display of devotion for the next episodes. Let’s just say, this wouldn’t have been the first time Melissa frantically raised her hand because Shauna asked to.

When they are about to enter the cave, there is a shot where we can see Melissa staring at Shauna, perhaps with concern. They are about to go find and confront someone they believe has tried to kill them, so it’s reasonable to be worried. That and the weird screams they heard once again coming from the woods (which they do not know are actually coming from frogs mating).

Fast forward a little, and we have Shauna, Van and Akilah all falling victim to a toxic gas and having weird nightmares while being intoxicated. When they got rescued from the gas, Melissa was actually standing near Shauna, staring at her with worry. We can’t really see it in the episode itself with the way it was shot and cut, but we can clearly see it in certain official stills. Once again, I wish they’d have shown it clearly in the episode itself, because it showed how much Melissa genuinely cared about Shauna and her well-being.

This was definitely a short scene analysis, but interesting and relevant to their dynamic nonetheless, mostly from Melissa’s side. We see the early signs of her devotion to Shauna, and that her feelings for her are genuine. I’m specifying this because I’ve seen some people claim that Melissa’s crush on Shauna wasn’t sincere, and it was all a ruse to get on her good side and gain more power. Which doesn’t make sense, and this scene alone proves it by showing Melissa being worried and concerned for Shauna even when the latter can’t see it when she is unconscious from the gas.